The Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Centre (Fanar) under the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs has started receiving entries for the Qatar International Competition in Arabic Calligraphy, known as Al Raqim, in its maiden session. Entries, according to a statement from Awqaf, will be received until December 26, the statement said.
The organising committee in the statement said any person with a passion for Arabic calligraphy, aged 18 years or over, can participate in the competition. Entries that meet the conditions on the competition website will be accepted. All details of the competition are available on Al Raqim official website www.alraqim.qa.
Participants can send the entries in a sealed envelope via mail to Fanar at the address: Qatar International Competition in Arabic Calligraphy “Al-Raqim”
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Centre - Abdullah bin Jassim Street, Doha, Qatar PO Box: 2204. The entries should be packed well to avert any damage. The organising committee said that the participant must write his name, surname and address in detail on the back of the envelope. Also, they must attach all required documents in the same envelope.
Al Raqim is one of the Arabic competitions with the highest prize money. The total prize money of the competition is QR1mn. There are five categories featured in the competition with each recognising eight winners. The jury of Al-Raqim consists of five of the world's leading calligraphers.
Awqaf recently launched Al Raqim at Fanar in the presence and sponsorship of HE the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ghanem bin Shaheen al-Ghanem. The contest is the largest international competition organised by the centre in collaboration with the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). The competition epitomises the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030 in entrenching its cultural role in the Middle East and the entire world, in addition to promoting cultural exchange among Arab nations.
Such initiatives pave the way for unlocking further human creative capabilities in calligraphy and paying tribute to Arabic calligraphy as an art and inveterate craft with promising prospects and bright future for cultural and civilisational exchange, in addition to discovering talented calligraphers worldwide and encouraging the Qatari and Arab youth to hone their skills and competitive abilities in this art.
Fanar plays a vital role in highlighting the Islamic culture by focusing on the cultural meanings of Islam along with its human values and international precepts for a wide diversity of non-Muslim societies hailing from multiple races and cultures. Also, the centre offers opportunities to teach the Arabic language to non-native speakers and introduce Qatari culture and the deep-rooted Arab heritage of Qatar.
